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Tale of a Whale
Many drivers pausing in traffic will gaze to the right at the landscaped grounds of the National Masonic Memorial, with its geometry of cultivated shrubs and flowers. Few glance to the left over the high white fence topped with wooden latticework. Those who do blink in surprise at "The Whale."
And the Bands Played On
Two local high schools reach finals.
“I can’t say enough about how proud I am of the students’ efforts throughout the day. It was by far the coldest, windiest, and rainiest day they have had to perform in all year,” said Brian Bersh, band director of Yorktown High School in Arlington.
City in Violation of Its Charter
Citizens hampered from accessing departmental rules and regulations.
While Alexandria’s ordinances are enacted in public by the City Council and are readily accessible to the citizenry, usually in the form of “The Code of the City of Alexandria, 1981,” departments and offices across city government also promulgate official rules and regulations, but they are neither publicized nor readily accessible by the citizenry. This directly violates the express wording of the city’s charter.
Spring in the Offing
Power tool retailer celebrates season.
On the day before spring arrived this year, a stubborn bank of snow signaled the “pre-season” event held at Virginia Outdoor Power Equipment Co.
Mapping County’s GIS Bureau
Location is everything.
A small staff in the county office building knows where to find everything in Arlington, down to the square foot.
Arlington: A Case of History Passing
Lustron: The forgotten experiment.
A special sadness arises when noticing a family consists only of aging members without child or grandchild or niece or nephew, their string of genealogy reaching its end. Some people, often called “preservationists,” suffer the same sense of sadness seeing a special structure threatened. Very soon, the few remaining Lustron houses in Northern Virginia will suffer losses. They, too, are approaching their end.
Washington-Lee High School: 75 Years Ago
The school’s graduates: 1938 and now.
Three local residents recall high school days from seventy-five years ago.
New Beginning at Cemetery
Lodge to be resurrected.
Anywhere else in the city, it would appear out-of-place in size and design. But being the lodge — or gatehouse, as many say — at the entrance to Alexandria National Cemetery, the building is a perfect fit.
Relief Just Moments Away
Alexandria's fireboat comes home.
Named Relief, Alexandria’s fireboat returned to its berth last week and stands ready for action in service to the Port City. However, its responsibilities are broader than one might expect.
An Alexandria Monument
Highly visible, mostly forgotten.
Ninety-nine years ago, almost to the day, a ladies’ patriotic organization made a gift to the City of Alexandria with the permission of the City Council. Its centerpiece is a cannon abandoned by Major General Edward Braddock at the start of his march against the French and their Native American allies in 1755. Braddock’s aide-de-camp was a colonial officer named George Washington. The artillery piece sits upon a pedestal of cobble stones taken from the streets of Old Town. Drivers rushing through the busy intersection of Russell and Braddock roads hardly notice the structure. For pedestrians, access to the small plot can be a challenge.
St. Patrick's Day Properly Celebrated
Each mid-March, St. Patrick is trampled by purveyors of green beer and boisterous singers of "Irish songs" actually written as show tunes by American composers like George M. Cohan.
Rotary Is All Around
85 years of service, and counting.
In conversation, it becomes clear that Rotary’s idea of “community” is not limited to one’s own city or county, but stretches coast-to-coast and extends to other countries.
Newcomers' Guide
Newcomers' Guide
Arlington: Masonic Story Memorialized
African-American Lodge honored.
History finally caught up with Arlington Lodge #58 F&AM, Prince Hall on Saturday, June 6. Arlington County erected a marker commemorating the strong and beneficial presence of generations of mostly African-American men in the Nauck community.
Did Someone Forget Something?
As last summer waned, Arlington residents of an area straddling 8th Street, South were left wondering. Frames were in place for a concrete pour of new curbs and gutters and a replacement roadway. Oddly, a utility pole stood in the middle of a soon-to-be sidewalk at the Walter Reed Drive end of construction.
First Annual Springfest Arrives
Capitol City Brewing Company had a new idea inspired by the decade-old Oktoberfest tradition: “Let’s invite about 50 local breweries to a festival welcoming spring.” A funny happened. They all accepted. Thus, 2014 is witness to The First Annual SpringFest in The Village at Shirlington.
What Is ‘Dillon's Rule?’
Authority rests with the state.
Every so often, an issue will break out between one of the more liberal local governments in Northern Virginia and the state government in Richmond. The locals say: "We know what is best for our residents." Richmond says "As a local unit of government, you have not been given the authority to act in the way you wish."